Hiding in Plain Sight (rp for sand_andwater)

[thehorseman]

Takes place a couple of days after this post."So ... how is she holding up?" Anraí leaned against Tumbling Dice's stall door and watched as Cait stroked Jagger's nose. The gelding's placid acceptance of his sister's attentions had caused plenty of amazed comments from Flint Creek's hands, but right now neither Cait nor Jagger were Anraí's main

Comments

[sand_andwater]

"Well, you aren't the friendliest thing are you?" Pippa half-laughed at the cat with it's fury back arched and tail twitching in warning. "Go back to whatever you were doing, kitty kitty. I came down here to see the horses anyway."

And she had. Pippa was also somewhat hiding from people and their constant concern about her well-being. She was feeling more than a little smothered up at the house and really didn't want to be a bother what with the more important happenings that should be everyone's focus

[thehorseman]

Anraí kept a careful eye on Jagger, prepared to forcefully warn him off of biting or taking any other unfriendly action toward Pippa if the girl went any closer. Fortunately Pippa was smarter than that and stayed out of Jagger's reach as she walked past. Anraí relaxed, only to blink surprised dark eyes as, out of all the horses in the barn, she decided to greet him first.

Well, and don't you look like a proper idiot now? Laine would probably laugh if she could see him. Or maybe not, she at least would know why he'd wound up in this situation.

All he could think of was to play along until a better idea came to him. Nickering gently, he stepped up to the door and extended his nose toward the redhead in a gracious equine request for a pat.

[sand_andwater]

Pippa grinned, the soft nickering one of her favorite horse-related noises and the apparent proof that this one was a bit of an attention seeker delighted her. She ran the back of her right hand slowly along the horse's muzzle, turning it palm down once she slid her fingers high enough to rub between his ears. "Aren't you a handsome fellow?"

She was, of course, guessing on the animal's gender, far too polite to open the stall and check. Pippa's easy affection towards him continued as she looked around the barn, at the other stalled horses, up towards the loft and back to the tack room.

"I had a pony a long time ago, he liked that too...yes, he did." Pippa's hand had found its way under the horse's head, fingers massaging the strong equine jaw as she rambled. "I don't suppose you have much else in common--what use does a work horse have for dressage training, hmm? Probably think it's as silly as Laine does. I used to like dancing with my pony, we did the prettiest pirouettes."

[thehorseman]

A soft chuff of contentment slipped out, a normal equine reaction to being scratched in hard-to-reach places by deft human fingers. As Pippa continued to rub his jaw, Anraí's eyes blinked, the lids remaining half-closed.

A hint of púca mischief suggested that he respond to Pippa's talk of dressage with a piaffe or levade, but he stifled the impulse. Such a trick would surely cue her in to the fact that he was not the horse he appeared to be, and from there it wouldn't take her long to figure out who he was. She looked relaxed here, with a smile of enjoyment on her face, and he didn't want to disturb that unless he had to.